Jobs report January 2026:

Job growth was stronger than expected to start 2026, providing some relief to concerns about the state of the U.S. labor market.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 130,000 for January, above the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 55,000, according to seasonally adjusted figures the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday. The total also was an improvement over December, which saw a gain of 48,000 after a slight downward revision.

The unemployment rate edged lower to 4.3%, below the forecast to stay unchanged at 4.4% from the prior month. A more encompassing measure that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time positions for economic reasons slipped to 8%, down 0.4 percentage point from December.

Markets rose following the news, with stock market futures ticking higher. Treasury yields also posted strong gains.

The report, delayed nearly a week by the partial government shutdown that ended Feb. 3, held consistent with a labor market in a low-growth mode, though with only scattered signs of increasing layoffs. January was the best month for payroll growth since December 2024, following a year in which job creation averaged just 15,000 a month.

President Donald Trump touted the numbers as the sign of a strong economy, and again called on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates.

“GREAT JOBS NUMBERS, FAR GREATER THAN EXPECTED!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “The United States of America should be paying MUCH LESS on its Borrowings (BONDS!). We are again the strongest Country in the World, and should therefore be paying the LOWEST INTEREST RATE, by far.”

In addition to the monthly numbers, the BLS released final benchmark revisions for the period of April 2024 to March 2025. Those numbers saw the initial counts revised lower by a total 898,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis. That was a bit lower than the 911,000 figure for the initial estimate last September but around Wall Street expectations.

As has often been the case for the U.S. labor market, health care led job gains in January, adding 82,000 positions. Social assistance also rose, up 42,000 as the two categories were responsible for almost all the net job creation. Construction saw a gain of 33,000 following a year in which the sector saw little increase.

Several categories posted losses.

Federal government jobs fell by 34,000 as some of those laid off last year through Department of Government Efficiency cuts but accepted deferred resignations fell off the payroll count, the BLS said. Financial activities saw a decline of 22,000.

“It was a January job surge,” said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. “The surprisingly strong job gains in January were driven mainly by health care and social assistance. But it is enough to stabilize the job market and send the unemployment rate slightly lower. This is still a largely frozen job market, but it is stabilizing. That’s an encouraging sign to start the year, especially after the hiring recession in 2025.”

On wages,…